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Albemarle volleyball shakes off slow start to beat Monticello

Photo by Bart Isley

By Drew Goodman / Scrimmageplay.com contributor

 

The ability to respond to a punch and to make mid-match adjustments are a couple of key points of pride for the 2017 Albemarle volleyball team.

 

After back-to-back losses to 5A powerhouses Brooke Point and Broad Run on the same day last month, the Patriots reeled off seven consecutive victories heading into Tuesday night’s clash at equally-hot Monticello.

 

Following a tough outing in the opening game, head coach Mark Ragland’s troops again answered the bell, with three strong sets in a row.

 

Albemarle led the third and fourth games wire-to-wire and fell behind just once in set number two en route to a decisive 3-1 triumph (22-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-17) on the Mustangs’ home floor.

 

“We did a good job of regrouping. We made a lot of silly mistakes early on and had trouble with their serves,” said Ragland of the early struggles. “When you’re not doing the basic fundamentals well, then it’s tough to do some other things well… I was proud of the way that they loosened up after a while and refocused as time went on and they started to play their brand of volleyball.”

 

The defeat snapped Monticello’s six-game winning-streak.

 

After the Mustangs snagged a 12-11 lead midway through the second set, the Patriots, particularly the front line, kept the pressure on Monticello for the remainder of the contest. Albemarle took advantage of several Monticello miscues and reeled off 11 of the sets next 13 points to build an insurmountable nine-point advantage.

 

Albemarle senior Danielle LaRosa notched one of her game-high 11 kills to slam the door on the home team in set number two and even the match for team in the process. LaRosa had a huge night for the Patriots, as the senior used her height advantage to help Albemarle dominate the middle of the net, and force Monticello to account for her presence on every play.

 

“Danielle had a monster night,” Ragland said. “She did a great job of putting the ball away at some key times for us, and I was really proud of the way that she responded.”

 

“We’ve got a pretty good size block [in the middle] this year and we we have good arm position and we do a pretty good job of putting the ball on their side of the court.”

 

LaRosa’s senior classmate Kate Schnell finished second on her team in kills with eight, in addition to her impressive 19 digs. Albemarle also leaned heavily on Kiera Roach’s seven aces and four timely kills from Gabbi DeGennaro’s. DeGennaro helped the victors notch the match-clinching point in set number four.

 

Junior Allie Cognata led the Mustangs with nine kills and three blocks. Senior Makysha made a number of hustle plays and finished with six kills and two blocks. Libero Amaya Gibson and Jewell Pugh were everywhere on the floor for Monticello, combining for nearly 30 digs as a pair.

 

Monticello controlled most of the first set, before Albemarle built a 19-17 advantage late in the game. The Patriots fought off an initial Mustang surge to tie the score at 21, before Monticello scored four of the set’s last five points to grab a 1-0 lead in the match.

 

The victory in game one marked instant improvement from Monticello’s 3-0 defeat at Albemarle last month.

 

Unfortunately for Monticello, that was about all that the pink-clad student section had to cheer about on Tuesday night. After briefly knotting the third game at seven, the Patriots remained in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the contest and cruised to a 3-1 win.

 

“I’m proud of how they came in with a mindset after the time that we played [Albemarle] last. They came back fighting,” Monticello head coach Meg Carpenter said. “They focused very strongly on where to place the ball on the other side of the court, how to not let one point affect the next point, and to just keep fighting hard every time, so now we just have to try to get that consistency.”

 

Monticello will look to rebound on Thursday at rival Western Albemarle, while the Patriots will return home to face Orange County.

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